5 tools for freelancers to fix up their finances in 2018

By Jessica Thiefels, a writer and business owner with over 10 years experience. She’s been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, The Financial Diet, Glassdoor, and more. Follow her on Twitter and connect on LinkedIn.

Are you a freelancer with international clients? Wise is the smarter, cheaper way to send money or get paid internationally. And with the borderless account, you can send, spend and receive in over 40 currencies.

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Being a freelancer means you have to worry about all the usual financial woes, like saving more and spending less, in addition to those particular to your line of work.

On a regular basis, you’re likely stressing about sending invoices, tracking expenses, and chasing down payments, which makes financial harmoney hard to strike.

Instead of stressing about money, or worrying about doing more work than you’re paid for, check out these tools. They could help you track your spending, get your invoices in order, and take control of your finances once and for all.

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Mint

This money tool is on every list of must-have financial apps for a reason.

It’s an all-in-one money management hub, perfect for busy freelancers who need to start budgeting and saving—without all the hassle. Start by creating your budget within the app, which will allow you to see suggestions for saving based on your spending. You can also track and pay all your bills within the app, making it easier to make sure everything is paid on time. No more digging through emails to find bills or payment links.

Most importantly, you can customize the app to your needs. With credit cards and your bank information loaded in, you’ll be ready to take your finances seriously, once and for all.

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Wise

If you’re working with international clients, this is a financial tool you need.

Wise allows you to avoid bank fees for changing money from your client’s currency to yours, which can quickly become a costly expense. To recieve your money through Wise, simply send your invoice through their platform and then save. You can also create and send your invoices by using our downloadable free invoice templates or invoice generator.

On a $2,000 invoice to a client in Europe, you could get an extra $192 thanks to much lower fees. When you’re paying your own bills, that much money can make a huge difference in how much you make.

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Harvest

You may not think of a time-tracking tool as one to help you fix up your finances.

However, as a freelancer, your life is all about billable income, and staying within the scope of the project. If you do too much, you lose money and time. That’s why Harvest, a free time-tracking tool, is perfect for getting your finances in order.

If you consistently feel like you’re doing more than you should, or aren’t getting paid the right amount, use Harvest to track what you’re doing.

For example, you’re getting paid a monthly retainer for 10 hours of work each month. When you start tracking your time, however, you realize you’re consistently doing at least 15 hours each month. This means it’s time to renegotiate your duties or the amount you’re being paid, to make sure you’re compensated for your time.

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Wave

Managing your income when it’s coming from so many places is hard—and stressful.

Wave, a free accounting tool, is the perfect way to get payments under control and track who owes you what.

All you have to do is send invoices through the tool, but don’t worry, you don’t have to accept online payments and deal with fees—you can simply send your invoice and collect payments as you normally do, whether that’s via check, direct deposit or otherwise. When payments are late, they’ll be at the top of your invoice list in red so you know who to follow up with.

You can also use Wave to track all business expenses, so at the end of the year, it’s easy to do your taxes and get your deductions. Simply input the purchases manually or take photos of your receipts, and let Wave do the work for you. If you need to get your payments and expenses in order, this is the tool for you.

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Birch

If you want to save more and spend less, sometimes you need to look past your bank account.

Birch makes that possible by helping you take advantage of your credit card rewards; according to Birch, the average shopper misses out on $2,000 annually in rewards. Using those, instead of spending your own money, could be the key to finding balance in spending.

The app offers standard features, like spending analysis, and then uses that data to help you find money-saving opportunities. For example, it will recommend credit cards better catered to your spending habits or show you rewards that you’ve missed in the past, so you don’t miss them again.

Don’t forget to use their real-time recommendation tool to decide which credit card is best for each purchase, so you can maximize your the rewards available to you.

Freelance Finances: Get Them in Order

Use these tools to take control of your finances once and for all. Track your time, credit card rewards and spending to get a clear picture of how much you’re making, where you need to increase budgets, and how you can save more with each purchase.

Moving internationally? Get paid by overseas clients? Get started with Wise today to make managing your international finances easier than ever.